1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for setting another object to be a next destination of a pointer when the pointer sequentially moves according to a user operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
With digital home electronics incorporating an information processing device, a user uses a menu screen to select a desired process. Generally, such a menu screen includes multiple objects associated with respective processes. As the user selects one of multiple objects, a process associated with the selected object is executed. The user can select a desired process in accordance with the menu screen.
Used in a game machine which plays a video game (in particular, a role playing game) is a world map for selecting a game scene (e.g., a virtual city in the world of the game) where the game is played. Being used by a user for selecting a desired game scene from multiple game scenes, the world map has a nature of a kind of a menu screen. Game scenes displayed on the world map are objects to be selected by the user.
Methods that allow a user to select a desired object from multiple objects included in the menu screen include a method by which a coordinate position corresponding to a desired object is input on a display device with a mouse or through a touch panel. However, an input device capable of directly inputting a coordinate position, such as a mouse or a touch panel, cannot be adapted to portable type game machines and cellular phones which have a capability of a computer device. An input device which is capable of inputting coordinates of a position irrelevant to an object may sometimes not be so useful even when this type of input device can be adapted to a computer device.
Computer devices (particularly, those which cannot use an input device capable of directly inputting a coordinate position) adopt a method that allows a user to select a desired object by moving a pointer (cursor) among multiple objects included in a menu screen. When a set input is made through an input device by the user, a process associated with an object pointed to is executed. The pointer is movable among multiple objects with the manipulation of up, down, right and left direction keys equipped on the input device. An issue in this case is how to move the pointer in response to input direction data.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H6-131119 (hereinafter, publication 1) discloses that the position of the pointer (cursor) is moved in a direction input through an input device (joystick 16) if there is another object in the input direction with respect to an object (functional button) currently pointed to by the pointer. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-301717 (hereinafter, publication 2) discloses that the position of a pointer is moved to an object within a predetermined angle to a direction input through the input device with respect to an object (link place) currently pointed to with a pointer (cursor). According to both publication 1 and publication 2, the next destination of the pointer is determined after a directional input is made through the input device.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H9-81322 (hereinafter, publication 3) describes that positional data (object number) of a next destination of a pointer (cursor) is prestored for each object. When a directional input is made through the input device, the position of the pointer is moved in accordance with positional data stored for an object currently pointed to by the pointer. According to publication 3, the next destination of the pointer is predetermined before a directional input is made through the input device.
According to publication 1, as it is premised that multiple buttons are regularly arranged upward, downward, rightward, and leftward (see, FIG. 4 of publication 1), it is easy to determine whether or not there is another object present in a direction input through the input device with respect to an object currently pointed to by the pointer. It is not, however, always true that available objects are regularly arranged upward, downward, rightward, and leftward. For example, the aforementioned world map of a game often has available objects arranged irregularly to provide a mode where a city to be a game scene is laid out on a map from a viewpoint that provides easier visual recognition for users.
The technology of publication 1 cannot be directly applied to a menu screen which has objects arranged irregularly, According to publication 2, an object within a predetermined angle to a direction input through the input device with respect to the current position of the pointer is selected, The technology of publication 2 can be applied to a menu screen on which objects are arranged up, down, right, and left with irregular positional relationships.
However, according to publication 2, an object with the shortest distance among objects within a predetermined angle is selected. Accordingly, the pointer does not move to an object completely matching an input direction from the current position of the pointer, so that the pointer may move to an object near the boundary of the range of the predetermined angle. In a case where inputs in the same direction (or, the opposite direction) are repeated multiple times, the position of the pointer may move to an object in an irrelevant direction from the position where the pointer has been displayed before the first input. According to the technology of publication 2, the pointer may move against the user's intentions The technology of publication 2 may generate an object to which the pointer is never moved no matter what sequence directional inputs are made through the input device, depending on positional relationships of the objects irregularly arranged up, down, right, and left. In publication 2, however, no measures have been considered for such a case. Because it is premised that multiple objects are irregularly arranged up, down, right, and left in publication 1, there are no objects to which the pointer cannot be moved, so that no measures have been considered for such a case at all.
According to publication 3, the position of the pointer is moved in accordance with positional data of a next destination stored beforehand, The technology of publication 3 can be applied to a menu screen which has multiple objects irregularly arranged up, down, right, and left. If positional data prestored for each object is appropriately selected, it is possible to avoid the problem of generating objects to which the pointer cannot be moved.
However, in publication 3, no consideration is taken on how to set prestored positional data. Manual setting of all positional data requires an inordinate amount of work by a developer, If the technology of publication 3 is combined with the technology of publication 2, the developer is released from the bothersome work for setting positional data to some extent. However, when a problem such that the pointer does not move as the user intends or the pointer moves to an object when it should not be moved, the developer should set positional data to avoid such a problem,